Olympic medalist, World Champion and three-time NCAA Champion Samantha Peszek joined ESPN in 2021 as a sideline reporter for ESPN and SEC Network gymnastics, including the SECN franchise Friday Night Heights. Peszek’s assignments span several conferences and platforms, including the NCAA Championship on ABC.

Peszek was a member of the U.S. team that won the silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games and the 2007 U.S. squads that won gold medals at the World Championships and Pan American Games. Following her stellar elite career, which included being a member of the U.S. National Team since 2004, Peszek leapt into her collegiate eligibility at UCLA. Peszek won her first NCAA title as a freshman in 2011, where she became the first college gymnast to do a standing backflip with a full twist on the beam.

She was a first-team All-American on beam in 2011 and 2012, before redshirting the 2013 season due to a torn Achilles tendon. The 2014 Pac-12 balance beam champion, she used her final year of eligibility to capture a pair of NCAA titles in the balance beam and the all-around. She was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame as a member of the 2007 World Championships team alongside ESPN teammates Alicia Sacramone Quinn and Bridget Sloan.